


Strength To Stand

by Aston (AstonT)



Series: Strength To Stand [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Asexual Character, Asexual Otabek, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Friendship/Love, Insecure Victor Nikiforov, OT4, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-10-24 18:34:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10747446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstonT/pseuds/Aston
Summary: *additional story for We Won't Hurt You*They started off so slowly, but in the end, they wouldn't have it any other way.Eventual Poly relationship - Yuuri/Victor/Yuri/OtabekAdditional ships may be added.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've spent a long while planning things out.   
> However, I didn't plan how to actually start this. 
> 
> This begins shortly after the end of canon.   
> Yuuri has moved in with Victor in St. Petersburg.   
> From here, I'm taking my own liberties. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy. I won't be apologizing for any OOC-ness, as this is to be made as an AU sort of thing. That being said, I hope you like my version of these characters!

A lot had happened since Yuuri had moved to St. Petersburg.

Yuri had grown used to seeing the Japanese man around at the rink that Victor and him both used as their home rink. He'd stopped complaining about it, too, usually offering a small conversation before going about his own business.

He'd become better friends with Otabek - despite the Kazakh being back in his home country and Yuri being in Russia, they kept in touch more than he thought they would.

He'd learned that Otabek hated texting, and had immediately changed so that they could either talk over a call or do a video chat.

And if anyone else had noticed, they were just glad that the Ice Tiger was slowly opening up and making friends.

There were times when, after practice or just goofing off on the ice, some of the skaters would go out for dinner or coffee, and Yuri usually backed out of these, preferring to go home and spend time with his grandfather and cat.

But on these occasions, Victor stubbornly kept him in the loop, keeping a near constant stream of texts going to Yuri so he didn't miss _anything._

So the first time that Yuuri text him on one of these days, it startled Yuri. 

Though to be fair, some of that was he knew he hadn't given the Japanese man his number beforehand. His eyes narrowed at the message, but upon seeing the words he relaxed.

_got your number from Victor. he wants me to keep you updated, he's off talking with someone on the phone?_

Yuri didn't ask who, just texted back with a 'k' and an offhand remark that he knew Yuuri would understand to be a joke and went back to what he had been doing - scrolling through Instagram with his cat laying on his chest, purring away contentedly. 

He got a single response with the promise of keeping him updated - on everything - and then was left be.

He already preferred Yuuri's way of keeping him updated on what he was missing as opposed to Victor's. He could get some peace and quiet for a while.

* * *

Of course, it nearly scared him half to death when his phone went off beside his face, disturbing the nap that he'd lulled himself into. 

He groaned, picking the phone up and glancing at the text.

It was from Victor, with the elder Russian ranting to him about something.

He stared at the partial message for a moment before unlocking the device to read through the too-long message.

It was every update that Yuuri hadn't sent him - all unimportant - then Victor all but begging him to help him pick a movie to take Yuuri to see.

Yuri didn't remark on the fact that there was no way that the Japanese man would understand any of the movie and just did some quick research of what was showing within the next two weeks and sent him some suggestions in hopes of being left alone.

It worked, but he got a new message from Yuuri not long after.

_I know you won't care, but I need to tell someone and I don't want to call home about this._

Yuri raised an eyebrow, but messaged back, slightly curious about what the Katsudon was talking about. 

A response came through moments later.

_Victor took me sightseeing - I'm still struggling with the area, you know?_

Yuri didn't bother to read the rest of the message. He knew what had happened from that first bit. Victor had tried to be romantic. He just messaged back with a good-natured ' _gross, Katsudon, I don't want to know that your whatever-he-is decided to kiss you in public.'_

Then after a moment, he sent a follow up message:

_at least it sounded more romantic this time than your actual first kiss._

The two let him be after that, and he pushed himself up to get changed into a pair of sweats and settling down for the night. 

* * *

Yuri hated being surprised. 

So of course, the first thing he did when he walked into the rink during the next practice - nearly a week later - to see Otabek there was to stand there and stare at the elder male before he moved forward with a glare and hit him in the chest, yelling in Russian.

Otabek just let him, his expression blank but his eyes shining in amusement.

Once he'd calmed, Yuri huffed. "Why are you here?"

Otabek shrugged. "Seung had to head out for something, so Victor invited me up so I wasn't on my own for a while. Besides, he wanted me to keep you company while he took his boyfriend out to a movie."

This got an eye roll from the shorter, but it was fond - nothing at all like it had been before the previous Grand Prix Final.

* * *

At the end of practice, Victor gave a cheerful wave and drug Yuuri off behind him. 

Otabek waited quietly on Yuri to join him, and the two of them wound up spending time out in the city for a while.

They didn't really talk - it wasn't the easy conversation that they had shared in Barcelona the day they'd become friends, but it also wasn't awkward silence. Both of them were quite content in the silence.

Yuri had forgotten how nice it was to just spend time with someone without feeling pressured to keep a conversation going.

He supposed spending time around someone like Victor had erased that from him a long time ago.

Otabek never told him how long he was in Russia for.

But he also didn't laugh at Yuri when the blond nearly jumped out of his skin when his phone went off some time later in the evening with a message from Yuuri that contained only a smiley face emoji.

"I take it their date went well," Yuri remarked to Otabek as he messaged back with an absent-minded insult.

Otabek watched this before he looked down at the ground under them with a small smile of his own. "That's nice,"

His smile was gone when Yuri finally put his phone away again.

* * *

Otabek wound up staying a week, fluctuating between staying with Yuuri and Victor and in a hotel room. 

Yuri had offered to ask his grandfather if he could stay with them after the first night that Otabek messaged him at three in the morning with a complaint about the two being too lovey-dovey, but had gotten a negative response from the Kazakh.

When Otabek was gone, Yuri started noticing the questioning looks from Yuuri, as well as the knowing looks from Victor.

It was infuriating beyond belief, and he didn't even understand why the two were looking at him like that.

But instead of ask, he just threw himself into practice.

After all, if he was busy, he didn't have time to wonder about why he was getting the looks he was. He didn't have time to question why Yuuri was suddenly talking to him so much about if he was alright or anything in his personal life.

He didn't have time to think about the way that Victor _stayed_ messaging someone on the phone constantly, only to give a serene smile when he was asked what it was about and say it wasn't important.

It meant he didn't have to worry about the strangeness around him that he had, in no way, been prepared for following such a calm visit from his friend.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Yuri even heard from Otabek was towards the end of practice one day a couple weeks later.

He'd been allowed off the ice early to relax again and made a surprised hum when he pulled his phone out to see Otabek video calling him.

But he was quick to accept it, giving a small smile when the connection settled. "Nice of you to let me know you were still alive,"

Otabek didn't give much of a reaction, just shrugged and settled against the couch on his end. " _Sorry, I got sidetracked."_

Yuri's eyes went away from his phone for a moment when he heard Victor yell something from the other side of the rink, followed by bright laughter. He rolled his eyes after a moment before looking back to his phone. "You must enjoy the quiet that comes with being home, huh?" he asked, barely keeping his wistfulness out of the words. 

But it got a soft chuckle from Otabek. " _It isn't as quiet as you think."_

Yuri went to respond, but held back when he heard another voice from Otabek's end. " _Ota? Are you doing a video chat with your kitten?"_

Otabek looked behind himself with a huff, missing the surprise on Yuri's face in response to this. 

Yuuri joined him right about then and gave him a strange look. "What's with that look?"

Yuri looked at the Japanese man before he just made a noncommittal noise at the back of his throat. He pretended that it wasn't slightly higher pitch than normal from his surprise (and slight embarrassment).

The elder didn't call him out for it.

Instead, Otabek's voice came through again, regretful. " _I'm sorry, Yura. I_ swear _he's never heard that from me."_

Yuri just tsked, acting strangely offended. "Yeah well....tell that asshole to cut it out, will you?"

This got an amused hum from Otabek and a fond smile from Yuuri, who leaned over to wave at the camera.

Yuri stared at him for a moment. "Shouldn't you be keeping Victor out of something, Katsudon?"

Yuuri just smiled at him. "I sent him to get coffee," he said immediately.

The blond went to respond, but Otabek's voice coming from the speaker stopped him. " _Yura...I did call for a reason. Do you have to get back to the ice or can we talk?"_

"Oh uh...no, I'm done for the day, we can talk," Yuri said, blinking in surprise as he looked back at his phone. 

Yuuri pulled his own phone out to busy himself, pretending to not be paying any mind to the situation beside him.

* * *

Victor had just returned with two cups of coffee when things got serious. He paused as he handed Yuuri one of the cups with a smile, his eyes locked to Yuri, who looked strangely concerned. 

He said nothing, though, settling himself in front of Yuuri.

Yuuri caught his eyes and shook his head.

Since Yuri had connected headphones so the conversation was slightly more private (and not able to echo around the rink, if he were honest), they had no idea what was going on, but the expression on the blond's face worried them.

He broke his silence after a few more moments. "I uh...can I have some time to think before I respond to...to _that?_ "

He seemed to get a positive response, because he gave a faint smile and bid his farewell.

Once it was over, he looked beside him to see both of the elder boys watching him curiously. He just gave a huff and stood to leave.

"I guess that didn't go too well, then," Yuuri said as the blond disappeared from the rink. "I guess we should've factored in Yurio's feelings too, huh?"

Victor hummed, then shook his head. "They'll be fine." he said decisively.

Yuuri didn't question him, he just hoped he was right.

* * *

Yuri missed practice for the next two days and ignored any message that the elder two sent to him. 

When he finally showed back up at practice, he ignored the coach's yelling and immediately headed onto the ice, his expression just as icy as ever.

It remained that way until he was allowed a break.

Then, and only then, did his expression change. He sat down beside Yuuri and Victor and spoke without looking at them. "He said you knew."

"He told us when he visited," Victor said, keeping his voice calm instead of showing his curiosity. However, he didn't stop himself from questioning the blond. "What did you decide?"

Yuri hesitated before he looked over at them. He rolled his eyes after a moment and shrugged. "Might as well try. Not like either of us have anything to lose."

Yuuri smiled fondly at that, ruffling blond hair, but not saying anything in response.

The meaning got across either way, anyway, so it didn't matter that nothing had been said.

After practice, neither of them remarked on the fact that Yuri's skating had been a lot more relaxed at practice that day.


	3. Chapter 3

Honestly, nothing really _changed_ after Yuri and Otabek got together, and that made Yuuri quite happy.

He didn't really want to have to watch as Yuri struggled to get his footing again, so the fact that things stayed the same, just with a new label was a relief.

And since nothing had changed, nobody else found out - all of them knew that was probably for the best with everything still being new.

Victor and Yuuri were careful not to ask questions when they were around the others at the rink, and even when they did finally ask questions, Yuri usually just got uncomfortable and walked away with his attention on his phone.

So, slowly, they stopped asking questions.

The first bit of information they got was from Otabek himself, since the Kazakh called Victor one day while the two were out in St. Petersburg.

Victor hadn't hesitated to answer and put the call on speaker so they could both hear.

So of course, when the first thing that came from Otabek was a concerned 'do you know what's wrong with Yuri', the two of them immediately became worried.

"Sorry, we don't. He hasn't really been acting any differently but..." Yuuri started, trailing off with a helpless shrug. "Why? Are the two of you okay?"

" _I wish I knew. He won't talk to me. I don't_ think _I've done anything to upset him, but I wanted to be sure and see if you two had any idea..."_

Victor tilted his head, running through what he knew of the younger Russian before he spoke. "He probably just needs time to adjust to the new relationship." he offered after a moment. "He's always been...wary of these sorts of things,"

That seemed to be a good enough answer for Otabek, who gave a brief pause before thanking the two of them and hanging up, letting them go back to their own plans.

* * *

"Are you okay, Yurio?" Yuuri asked the following morning at practice. 

Yuri looked up from his phone curiously before he hummed in agreement. "Why?"

Yuuri sat down beside him, bracing his forearms against his knees and keeping his eyes forward. "Because Otabek called Victor and me, worried that he had upset you? I just wanted to make sure you were alright,"

Yuri stared at him for a moment before he sighed and put his phone in his jacket pocket. "I wasn't trying to cause anyone to worry," he grumbled. "I'm fine, Katsudon, I just...this is too..."

Silence fell between the two of them, and Yuuri finally looked over at him to see a torn expression on his face. "It's weird, isn't it? Being in a relationship with him?"

This got a nod, so he continued.

"Is it a _bad_ weird, though?"

Silence greeted his question, and lasted until Yuri had to get up to get on the ice.

He paused before he headed away, though, and turned to look at Yuuri again. "No, it isn't bad. I just don't know how to...do relationships?"

* * *

Yuuri wound up making sure Otabek got that exact quote as an explanation, and was greeted with a thankful return message. 

"Don't worry so much," Victor said as they left practice, his arm draped comfortably around Yuuri's shoulders. "It'll just take some time, they'll be _fine_."

Yuuri looked up at Victor in amusement. "Be that as it may, I'm still going to worry. You can tell that Yurio doesn't like the fact that he's uncomfortable,"

Victor didn't question him - he knew that Yuuri was right, but he didn't want to try to explain with what limited knowledge he had. Instead, he just gave a small smile and kissed the Japanese man's cheek and started talking about something else. "So, I'm thinking we go out for dinner tonight? I know this great place,"

Yuuri smiled faintly at this, allowing Victor to chatter away as they made their way home.


	4. Chapter 4

The beginning of the season arrived before anyone really realized it was so close.

While they were prepared for it, it was still slightly disconcerting to see that they hadn't realized just how little time they had.

With Victor being back on the ice, everyone was buzzing with excitement to see how the season would go.

But the highlight of it all for Victor and Yuuri was seeing the reaction to Otabek the first event he was in as well.

Yuri had been slightly more social after he'd figured his emotions out from the mess of confusion it had been in right after he'd gotten together with Otabek.

Seeing as it was a public event, Yuuri knew that the blond wasn't going to react as strongly as Victor seemed to think, but still smiled softly as he watched Yuri shoot forward to hug Otabek, already talking quickly in a mix of English and Russian.

Otabek looked confused for a moment before his expression softened and he ran his fingers through the blond hair gently as he settled to listen.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Victor spoke up. "He's been saving a lot of his energy to talk to you," he said with an amused smile. "He's always more...excitable when it comes to traveling."

Otabek hummed in understanding, meeting icy blue eyes for a moment before he looked back to Yuri, who was still mumbling absently as he typed something on his phone.

* * *

Honestly, Yuuri wasn't entirely sure what happened their first day at the event - he spent a lot of his time napping given the chance. 

And so, when he looked through Instagram later to see a plethora of pictures from the other skaters he knew would be in the event, he just smiled faintly as he went through them, content in the warm cocoon of blankets he'd found himself in.

* * *

What he didn't expect to see the following morning when the event was getting started was Yuri to be looking slightly more annoyed than usual with his fans.  

Still, he paused long enough to rescue him from the girls, making some off hand excuse as to why Yuri had to go _right then_ and that maybe he'd see them later.

Yuri just threw him a semi-grateful look as he followed behind the Japanese man to the lockers.

Otabek threw a wave at them in greeting as they settled about getting ready for the event, earbuds in and the faint sound of whatever song he had playing coming from them, muffled.

* * *

With the season going on, Yuri learned quickly that he honestly didn't have as much free time as he'd become used to during the off-season. 

Still, he did his best to keep to a schedule, and found himself being slightly more grateful than he thought he'd be when Victor and Yuuri drug Otabek and him along with them to get dinner after the Free skate event.

Otabek kept a quiet conversation going with the other two, his fingers intertwined with Yuri's without a care in the world.

Yuri, however, was nervous about it, and they all knew it by the way he kept glancing around.

Otabek didn't take offense to it - he had already had a talk with Yuri about it, back before the season had begun.

Of course, Victor still made joking remarks to the two boys in front of them at the restaurant and was almost always greeted with something being thrown at him.

Yuuri eventually took pity and cut across one of Victor's remarks. "All jokes aside, it _is_ nice to be able to do double dates without worry about things being awkward." he offered, rolling his eyes at the pout that Victor threw at him for cutting him off. "Besides, I think it's nice to be able to have dinner with a couple friends and things not seem forced,"

"You mean like last year, the dinner where your engagement came out?" Otabek asked absently, taking a sip from the water sitting in front of him.

Yuuri nodded in agreement.

Yuri just smiled faintly - hiding it by looking down at his phone in his lap.

If any of them noticed, they didn't call him on it.

Otabek eventually reached over to take Yuri's hand under the table, though. "You've been oddly quiet," he remarked, seeming amused by the fact that he had to say anything of the sort when he was used to the quiet with Yuri.

Yuri looked up in surprise before he shrugged in response.

"Who were you texting?" Victor asked after a moment, tilting his head as he watched the blond.

Yuri's eyes narrowed at the silver haired male and he didn't answer, just shoved his phone into his pocket.

They didn't force the topic.

* * *

"I never want to go to dinner with those two immediately following a competition event again," Otabek remarked as him and Yuri made their way through the hotel they were all staying in during the competition. 

Yuri hummed in agreement. "Yeah...I think that maybe next time, it should just be the two of us?"

Otabek glanced over at him in surprise before he gave a small smile - just a twitch of his lips upwards for the barest moment. "Of course," he said immediately, pausing his steps at the door to the room Yuri was in. "Sleep well, Yura,"

Yuri gave him a searching look before leaning up slightly to kiss his cheek. "You too, Beka,"

When the door shut behind Yuri, Otabek finally moved away, his expression still slightly surprised as it had been beforehand.

He made sure that his expression was blank before he entered the room he was sharing with Seung, not wanting to deal with his friend's questions.


	5. Chapter 5

And true to their word, the next event they were both a part of, they immediately went for dinner after the Free skate was over.

Yuri had waved the elder two skaters off on their own and had contented himself to talk through the crowds with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

He let out a soft noise of surprise when Otabek reached over to take his hand, tangling their fingers together simply without bothering to look over at him.

Yuri stared up at him for a moment as they walked before he let a small smile come forward and he tightened his grip on Otabek's hand, reveling in the warmth it gave him.

* * *

"I hope that was okay...I know you aren't fond of people touching you," Otabek said once they were settled in a diner.

Yuri gave him a calm smile in response. "It was more than okay," he said immediately.

He wound up putting his phone on silent and laying it face down on the table about halfway through their dinner because Victor kept texting him.

Otabek just gave a fond look to Yuri as he did this. "It's nice that he cares for you so," he told Yuri when the blond gave an annoyed huff.

Yuri was quiet for a moment before he nodded in agreement.

* * *

Yuri's favorite thing in the world is that with Otabek, he didn't feel it was necessary to keep conversation going over dinner.

Sure, they talked, they shared stories and asked questions about one another, but it didn't feel forced and the silence wasn't uncomfortable when it happened.

It just made him feel safe and warm in a way he usually didn't away from home.

But he kept these thoughts to himself, not wanting to make things weird between them.

Instead, he just shoved these thoughts back and stared in on another story - one involving his grandfather that got a huff of breath resembling a laugh out of Otabek before the Kazakh male recomposed himself with an apology.

"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh,"

Yuri shook his head in response. "I don't mind," he said immediately. "It _is_ funny now, but it was mortifying back then,"

And just like that, both of them dissolved into a mess of laughter thinking about the story that Yuri had shared.

Once they were calm, Yuri spoke softly again. "I like your laugh," he told Otabek. "It's nice, soothing, I guess? I sort of wish you'd laugh more, but.."

Otabek gave him a knowing look and nodded. "Maybe when it's just us, I'll try to be more expressive. Besides, I like your reactions - your eyes light up when you're excited, did you know?"

Yuri just looked down in response to that, saying nothing.

They didn't share compliments, they didn't talk about each other in this fond way very often and it still made Yuri's stomach fill to the brim with butterflies.

* * *

Otabek walked him back to his room again that night and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before he spoke. "I'll see you tomorrow? Everyone's going out for breakfast before we all head off to our next events, right?"

Yuri nodded in agreement and bid Otabek a goodnight before disappearing into his room again.

Of course, he almost groaned when he saw Victor and Yuuri sitting there waiting on him. "How did the two of you get in here?"

"Yakov let us in," Yuuri offered with a small smile. "How was your date?"

Yuri glowered at the two of them before he finally sighed and plopped down on his bed and started talking.

He refused to smile when he heard one of them made a noise at anything he told them, but he was rather glad they were so approving - he didn't want to say it, but their opinions meant the world to him, especially about something so personal.

* * *

* * *

**IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE!!!  
**

**Okay, so maybe not too terribly important, but I wanted to let you guys know.**

**I have decided on ONE side pairing so far for this story, with the possibility of side stories focused on them, as well as perhaps the little things in here that I miss or don't detail (such as Yuuri and Victor's first date, that I totally sort of mentioned and then skipped)**

 

**I would love your opinions both on the idea of this sidepairing and any others you'd like to see (or events you'd like to see in this story, I'd love to know!)**

**Said side pairing (that my friend helped me decide on):**

**Seung/Leo/Phichit.**

**I'm a sucker for poly relationships, okay?**

**That being said, if you want to see any other side pairings, let me know!**

**Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

Something Yuri got used to after the season ended and they were all back in their own countries was video calls with Otabek once a week.

Sometimes, Otabek was home alone. On those nights, he'd stay later and smile more often. He joked around to make the blond laugh, and often times busied himself with making food or doing small household chores while they spoke.

Other times, Seung was there and would pop up to say hi and have a short conversation with Yuri - usually when Otabek had to do something.

As such, Yuri learned a lot about his boyfriend's housemate and best friend. He was quiet, didn't smile often and preferred not to joke around, but he was passionate and cared deeply for Otabek.

Yuri respected him quite a bit once he got to know the boy.

" _I hope he wasn't giving you a hard time, Yura,"_ Otabek said once Seung had disappeared to his room for the evening.

Yuri just smiled in response. "Not at all." he offered.

Otabek didn't believe him, though - he knew that Yuri wouldn't tell him even if Seung had been giving him a hard time, but he didn't feel like starting an argument over something like that.

" _So tell me, how's practice with Yuuri and Victor?"_

Yuri groaned, but started talking, falling into the habit of complaining about the two to the Kazakh.

* * *

Otabek's next trip up to visit came with more warning than the first one had. 

They wound up being drug to dinner with Yuuri and Victor that evening.

It didn't take long into the meal for Yuri to get annoyed, and he mumbled something about going to the restroom for a minute and went to stand.

He seemed to hesitate before moving to kiss Otabek's cheek.

Unfortunately - and Yuuri honestly should've seen it coming, since he knew the two younger boys were much less in tune with one another than Victor and himself - Otabek turned to say something, causing Yuri's kiss to miss his cheek all together.

Yuri pulled back from the kiss bright red and disappeared without a word.

"I've never seen him that red," Victor mused as the three of them stared after the small Russian.

Otabek went to say something before he shook his head and let his head rest in an open palm. "Well...he's probably mortified..." he murmured.

Yuuri smiled faintly at the worry clear on the Kazakh's face.

When Yuri came back, he was still a bit pink and immediately started talking as he sat down, blue-green eyes locked on the table.

"I am _so_ sorry," he started, going to say more, but Otabek just gave a huff of breath that resembled a laugh - the closest he ever got to it in public - and shushed the boy.

Yuri looked up at him in surprise to see a small smile being thrown at him.

"I didn't mind," Otabek told him. "Don't worry about it,"

Yuuri smiled, but made sure Victor didn't say anything about it - he didn't want to ruin the calm now.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Otabek is almost annoyed the next time that Yuri starts shutting him out - he was home, and Seung seemed confused by the lack of video calls and text messages the Kazakh was receiving.

"Did your kitten and you split?" Seung asked one evening over dinner, finally sick of seeing his best friend seem so _lost_ by the lack of communications from Yuri.

Otabek looked up at him before he shrugged in answer.

But he offered nothing else in response.

Seung didn't push it, just let Otabek disappear into his bedroom after dinner before he pulled his phone out and video called the blond Russian.

" _...what?"_

Seung gave a dark look to the boy on his screen before he spoke. "You're avoiding Ota," he deadpanned. "And you're going to tell me _why, now,_ because he's miserable,"

Yuri was quiet on his end, and Seung saw the guilt flash across his expression before it was shoved behind a blank mask.

He didn't say anything until Yuri spoke.

" _...it's complicated, and I promise I'll talk to him about it when I've figured it out myself."_

Seung sighed, but nodded his acceptance. "Just...text him, okay? He misses you,"

Yuri agreed, ending the call without another word.

* * *

Of course, just because communication picked back up didn't mean things improved - Yuri was still distant, often times writing something in a notebook while he was on a video call with Otabek.

But the Kazakh didn't question him - he knew that his boyfriend would tell him what was going on eventually, and so, he just waited it out.

 However, he did message Yuuri about it - he tried not to message Victor, since he knew the elder Russian would freak out about it - and just got the advice of 'just give him some time, he's nervous'. 

It didn't help him at all. If anything, it made  _him_ nervous. 

Had he done something? Had he  _not_ done something he should have? Did Yuri want to leave?

" _Beka? You look worried, are you alright?"_

The concern in Yuri's voice over their video chat snapped him back into reality and he just hummed before he spoke. "Sorry, I was thinking. You were telling me something?"

Yuri gave a small smile in response.  _"i...need to talk to you. In person. It isn't bad, but..."_

Otabek took a sharp intake of breath, startled, but nodded. "I'll head there a few days before practice really starts again? I'd like to spend time with you," he offered, almost smiling when he saw Yuri's features soften at his words. 

Once the call ended, Otabek pressed the phone to his lips, his throat tightening slightly as his worries came back. 

But he didn't feed them. Instead, he just shoved it away as he prepared for bed. 

It wasn't like there was anything he could do about whatever was going on at that point. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys, here we go. Sorry it's been a while - it was hard for me to figure out how I wanted to write this chapter, since this is the turning point to get it going towards the poly fluff.   
> I hope it lives up to expectations for you guys, because I'm still slightly uncertain about this chapter.

Yuri and Otabek went out to dinner on Otabek's first day in Russia before joint practices restarted to get ready for the season.

They spent a lot of the dinner talking quietly over nothing, mostly just happy to be enjoying one another's company instead of it being a video call - those definitely weren't always reliable, they'd dropped far too many within the course of their relationship.

But Yuri seemed worried about something, and that was causing Otabek to worry.

They didn't breach the subject at the restaurant, simply finished their meal and kept conversation light until they were back on the streets, wandering around again.

Otabek was nearly startled when Yuri pulled him to a stop once they weren't around other people, but he said nothing as he looked down to meet blue-green eyes worriedly.

Nothing was said for another moment, and the next thing that Otabek knew, Yuri had pulled his hand away and was tangling his fingers together over and over again.

"I'm sorry," Yuri offered, not meeting Otabek's eyes.

Otabek went to say it was fine, but he wasn't even sure why the blond was apologizing to him, so he didn't. He just waited patiently for Yuri to continue.

He didn't.

And so, after a long moment, Otabek sighed and started talking. "I don't know why you think you need to apologize, but I'm sure there's no need. Talk to me, Yura, what's going on?"

Yuri's breathing hitched slightly, then returned to normal - he'd been surprised.

 _Talk to me._ It wasn't a request made by either of them often, usually saved for something they viewed to be important.

Otabek had only said it one other time, and he'd gotten told all about Yuri's doubts about their relationship at that point.

Seung had been in the room, and he had stared at the back of Otabek's phone upon hearing it all before he gave Otabek a nod and left the house to give the two some time and privacy to talk alone.

Yuri looked up at him, and silence reigned for a moment further before the blond started talking.

* * *

The quiet was calming, but it was edged with uncertainty for Yuri. 

Otabek hadn't said a word since Yuri fell silent again, wasn't even _looking_ at him.

And so, he broke the silence with words that drew Otabek's gaze to him again.

"I get it if you don't want to stay..."

Otabek stared at him, eyes hard for a long moment before his gaze softened and he moved to wrap his arms around the small blond. "Don't think like that, Yura." he said, voice stern but gentle.

Yuri held his gaze for a moment before he looked down.

Otabek didn't question this movement, just let a hand rest on the back of Yuri's neck to guide him to rest his head against his chest - over his heart.

"...I'm not going anywhere," he promised quietly, deftly running his fingers through blond locks. "So you like Yuuri, that's fine. That's nothing to be ashamed of,"

Yuri made a confused noise, but didn't move away or interrupt Otabek as the brunette continued talking.

"I'll talk to Victor and have him talk to Yuuri, okay? Even if it means nothing more than a crush to you, I really think it'll help you to talk to the two of them about it," Otabek decided after a short moment of silence. "And I'll be right there beside you, supporting you, no matter what happens, alright? As long as you're happy,"

It almost scared the Kazakh when he felt tears soak through his shirt and he pushed the blond back in surprise to see him scrub violently at his eyes.

But a smile came through, so Otabek relaxed, pressing a kiss to the top of Yuri's head. "Let's get you home, jolbarıs."

Yuri didn't fight him on it.

* * *

The morning of their first joint practice following that, Otabek gave Yuri a calm smile before he approached Victor while the silver-haired Russian was alone. 

"Can we talk, alone?" Otabek asked softly. "It's important,"

Victor seemed a bit confused, but nodded in agreement and threw a wave to Yuuri as they passed the Japanese man.

Yuuri rolled his eyes as he approached Yuri, holding out a cup of coffee. "Mocha," he offered with a calm smile. "Otabek text and said you'd probably appreciate it,"

Yuri stared at the cup before he took it with a nod. "Thanks, Katsudon,"

Yuuri nodded and set Victor and Otabek's coffee orders aside after taking his own and settling beside Yuri - their practice wouldn't start for another twenty minutes, so he wasn't too concerned about wasting time.

When the two rejoined them, Yuuri motioned towards the coffee.

Victor handed Otabek his before he looked between the two seated skaters. "Come walk with me, Yuuri," he offered. "Otabek and Yuri need to talk about something,"

Yuuri made a confused noise, but moved to leave the two alone anyway.

Yuri watched them go as Otabek sat down, fingers curled around the still-hot drink. "...how'd that go?"

Otabek gave a soft chuckle, smiling fondly at the younger. "Well, Victor promised to talk to Yuuri about it for us," he commented. "I wouldn't be too worried, Yura,"

* * *

Yuri put it to the back of his mind throughout practice, focusing his attention on practice. 

Once that was over, though, his worrying took affect again.

Otabek seemed calm about the entire thing, talking with him absently about something completely unrelated until Yuuri approached the two of them.

He seemed calm, which settled Yuri's own nerves about the situation a little, and gave a fond smile to the two as he settled down in front of them.

"Thank you for telling us," he said immediately, looking to Otabek, then to Yuri. "We talked about it while you were on the ice, Yuri."

Yuri met his gaze for a moment, his normal scowl in place, though his eyes showed his uncertainty about the situation he'd found himself in.

Yuuri didn't say anything about it.

Instead, he looked back over to where Victor was waiting and spoke. "We decided...we wouldn't be against trying, if you want. But it has to be you to make the first move towards anything more than being friends, Yuri. And if we try and you feel uncomfortable being with us, that's fine, no hard feelings."

Yuri gave a small smile when Yuuri looked back at him. "...thanks, Katsudon,"

"Of course," Yuuri responded with a calm smile. "Now how about the two of you go get something to eat and head out? You need time to think, I'm sure. It was nice to see you today, Otabek, I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow at the earliest,"

Otabek shrugged in response.

* * *

With that talk out of the way, Otabek noticed that Yuri had settled back into himself again a bit more. 

But he still seemed uncertain, and the Kazakh was careful not to push about it all.

Roughly two weeks after that, Yuri spoke up about it again.

"What if this isn't the right thing to do?"

Otabek looked over at him, confused for a moment before he understood and gave a wry smile. "Tell me something, Yuri."

The blond glanced over at him, but said nothing.

"Is this what you want? To be with all three of us? Would that make you happy?"

Yuri hesitated before he offered a nod.

Otabek hummed softly, giving it a moment before he spoke. "Then it can't be the wrong thing to do. If it doesn't work out, then that's fine, but the only wrong thing to do would be to not try because you're worried about a what if,"

Yuri stayed quiet for a long moment, then nodded and pulled his phone out. "So....thinking maybe dinner, then? Or lunch, after practice tomorrow?"

"Lunch," Otabek decided, humming contentedly as he watched his boyfriend type a message out to Yuuri.

* * *

"We have a lunch date tomorrow after practice," Yuuri told Victor as he settled on the couch beside the silver-haired Russian, holding his phone out so that the elder could see Yuri's message. 

' _lunch date w/ beka and me? tomorrow?'_

Victor smiled faintly. "Can't wait," he offered, pressing a kiss to Yuuri's temple as the japanese man texted back.

' _we can't wait.'_

After a short pause, he sent another message back. 

' _I'm glad you're okay.'_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just thought I'd post a little note here before I actually moved on to the story.   
> First, I wanted to get this typed and posted before tomorrow, as I'll be busy then.   
> However, my writing was put on pause over the weekend due to it being full - a bonfire, a game night with friends, then a cookout with my boyfriend and some of his coworkers (which, by the way, killed my anxiety levels, you have no idea. I locked myself in the bathroom for roughly fifteen minutes.)  
> However, I'm excited for tomorrow instead of dreading it.   
> I get to go skating tomorrow!
> 
> ...however, that's a bit of a bad thing, as well, as I haven't been skating in a few years, right around three now. Not since I injured my ankle.   
> But I'm still excited for it. 
> 
> I hope that everyone's still enjoying this story, I'm putting a lot of work into planning things out, even if I can't write anything right then.   
> However, I'd love to know if you guys want a different story for the Leo/Phichit/Seung-gil relationship?   
> I'd be totally game to write it, but only if you want it~!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!  
> Enjoy, loves!

Practice went normal as ever the following day, but as soon as it ended, Yuri was a bit more jumpy than he usually was.

Otabek seemed slightly concerned by his boyfriend's nervous behavior before he remembered that they had a lunch date with Yuuri and Victor.

Once they arrived at the restaurant they'd agreed on, though, Yuri calmed down, which let Otabek relax.

"How was his practice?" Victor asked when the two sat down across from them, smiling fondly as Yuri settled in the chair.

Otabek shrugged in response. "Passionate and angry, as usual," he responded, seeming a bit amused as he threw a look to Yuri out of the corner of his eye.

Yuri made a face at him before he started talking.

* * *

One good thing was _nothing changed_ for them at lunch. 

It was still easy to talk, and easy to stay in a comfortable silence.

Otabek wound up watching the interactions more than actively participating, but there was no denying he was happy with the outcome.

At the end of it all, though, Victor spoke. "So, should we be talking about this sort of arrangement?" he asked, seeming a bit amused by the situation.

Otabek seemed a little lost, but said nothing as Yuri fell silent and furrowed his brow.

Then the uncertainty was back.

Otabek noticed immediately and reached over to squeeze Yuri's knee gently, feeling some of the tension melt out of the blond at the action.

"Yeah, I think that'd be great. Maybe not here, though? Somewhere more comfortable, with less prying ears?" Otabek suggested, throwing a look around them.

Yuuri nodded in agreement. "Of course," he responded.

Yuri stayed quiet after that, until they were all settled in Victor's - and Yuuri's, Otabek learned - living room.

"I'm not willing to continue this if both of you aren't one hundred percent on board with it being all of us," Victor said after a long moment of silence. His eyes met Yuri's before he looked to Otabek. "I know Yuri's okay with that. What about you, Otabek?"

Otabek gave the barest of smiles before he tilted his head in a nod. "I'm fine with it," he responded calmly. "I can definitely see myself growing to care for Yuuri and you in the same way I do for Yura,"

It wasn't an easy agreement, a seamless shift into it being the four of them, and they all knew better than to expect that when it wasn't already mutual feelings between all four of them.

But the fact that they were willing to try was enough, Otabek supposed.

* * *

Their talk continued on for nearly an hour and a half after that, and by the end of it all, they understood certain limits and were happy with their knowledge of where they stood in their relationship. 

And Yuri was calmer, which Otabek was thankful for. He didn't like seeing the blond worried over an uncertain situation like the one they'd just navigated their way through.


End file.
